Ron Paul, Ruhollah Khomeini, Adolf Hitler. In which order would you place these on a conventional left-right spectrum, and why?

When thinking about it, you might find some epic music a mind-easer;
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2hRTLdvdnk&list=LL1X_szkYNN250wqlxXAydCw& index=1&feature=plpp_video]Two Steps From Hell - To Glory - YouTube[/ame]

Well, Paul is in favor of down-sizing the federal government and letting the states take up the slack insofar as they desire to do so. Federal income taxes would be eliminated and replaced by excise taxes and/or non-protectionist tariffs.

But he is a Libertarian and the Libertarian Party does not have any seats in Congress(except Paul's), so even if he were to be elected, he would still be duty bound to "faithfully execute" the laws(budget) passed by Congress.

I don't know what those other two chaps would have to say on the subject.

I guess the definition of right-wing politics depends upon which country one is considering and which century.

"Left-wing" and "right-wing" have broad meanings. Left-wing tends to be in favor of "radical" ideas, whereas right-wing tends to be in favor of "traditional" ideas. Left-wing refers to anything from liberalism to socialism to communism to anarchism... Right-wing refers to anything from conservatism to capitalism to fascism... and so forth...

Regardless, left or right, we really can't trust those darn politicians regardless of what they say they are! They are all the same - interested in only themselves!

"Left-wing" and "right-wing" have broad meanings. Left-wing tends to be in favor of "radical" ideas, whereas right-wing tends to be in favor of "traditional" ideas. Left-wing refers to anything from liberalism to socialism to communism to anarchism... Right-wing refers to anything from conservatism to capitalism to fascism... and so forth...

Fascism is a very radical doctrine... and capitalism is an economic system, not an ideology. Not to mention its promoters were pretty much the left of European politics throughout the 19th century. In Poland, the mainstream "left" party (Platforma Obywatelska) is thoroughly more pro-capitalist.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PM96

Regardless, left or right, we really can't trust those darn politicians regardless of what they say they are! They are all the same - interested in only themselves!

Capitalism ought to be merely an economic system, but it has unfortunately become an ideology in the minds of a not inconsiderable number of people; an end in itself, rather than a means to an end.

With regards to the conundrum in the original post, this is why two-axis political maps (such as the one you can see your own location on here) have become more popular. A single axis can suffice to describe a certain country's politics at any given moment, but a two-axis quiz can provide a somewhat more objective map. With two axes, the differences between people such as Ron Paul and Adolf Hitler suddenly become quite distinct.

There does not seem to be any real consensus on the meanings.Below are explanations of the terms 'left' and 'right' wing politics" I consider reasonable.

By those definitions,there is currently no effective political left wing in the US,UK or Australia.

The right in the US is SO conservative,it labels the centrist/centre right Obama socialist and the ruthless millionaire- businessman Romney a dangerous radical.

Quote:

In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a society with a more egalitarian structure.[1][2][3][4] They usually involve a concern for those in society who are disadvantaged relative to others and an assumption that there are unjustified inequalities (which right-wing politics view as natural or traditional) that should be reduced or abolished.[3]

In politics, the Right, right-wing and rightist describe a family of political views, usually contrasted with views described as "the Left". There is a great deal of disagreement about what those views are, and meanings may vary with context.[1] Generally, they refer to acceptance or support of a hierarchical society based upon social order that is justified by an appeal to natural law or tradition.[2][3] According to Norberto Bobbio the fundamental distinction is that the Right accepts social inequality as part of the natural order of things while the Left aspires to a more egalitarian society.[4] Roger Eatwell and NoŽl O'Sullivan assert that right-wing politics is more loosely defined than left-wing politics, because to some extent it is a response to its leftist counterpart.[5][page needed]